Guard for railroad-platforms.



H. G. HEFFNER. GUARD FOR RAILROAD PLATFORMS.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12

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H. G. HEPFNB'R GUARD r03 RAILROAD PLATFORMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12,1909.

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bQrm/an/ 1H: NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHING7ON, 0 cv HERMAN G. HEFFNER, OF MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

GUARD FCR RAILB'JAD-PLATFORMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed May 6, 1908. Serial No. 431,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. HEFFNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Martinsburg, in the county of Berkeley and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guards for Railroad-Platforms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guards for railroad platforms and the object of the invention is to provide an ordinary railroad platform or station with a hinged section or floor adapted to lie normally on a level with the remainder of the platform and to be raised to provide a guard or obstruction for preventing persons, baggage, mail or express truck, from coming into too close proximity with the cars in the station, thereby obviating the liability of accidents and loss of life.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction of elements and their arrangement in operative combination hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a railway platform provided with the improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of the same taken upon the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the operating lever and the alarm mechanism which is operated when the lever is swung to raise or lower the guard. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form of thedevice. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawings, and referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof the numeral 1 designates an ordinary railway platform. The platform 1 is provided with a horizontal rectangular cut away portion 2 communicating with the outer wall of the platform. The cut away portion or depression 2 is of a comparatively shallow depth and is adapted for the reception of the guard, hereinafter to be described, when in its lowered position, and this guard is of a comparatively light thickness so as to be easily manipulated, and at the same time present a flush surface with the remainder of the platform when lowered. The end of the platform 1 is provided with a plurality of spaced arcuate depressions 3 communicat ing with the depression 2 and adapted for the reception of mechanisms hereinafter to be described.

The guard a, comprises a rectangular member, constructed of light material, such as sheet iron and is provided with longitudinally extending corrugations or'depressions 6. The guard is of a size equaling that of the depression 2 and is hingedly secured to the longitudinal wall of the depression as indicated by the numeral 7. The guard l is provided with sides 8 adapted to engage the sides of the platform land the guard is also provided with a front or apron 9 hingedly secured as indicated by the numeral 10.

The platform 1 is provided with a longitudinally extending shaft 11, positioned be low the surface of the depression 2 near the outer wall of the platform, and this shaft is adapted for engagement with a rocker arm 12 pivotally secured as at 13130 an arm 14 which in turn is pivotally secured between the ears 15 provided upon the under face of the guard 4. The shaft 11 is also provided with a plurality of counterweights 16, which, together with the bars 12 and 14 are adapted to operate within the arcuate cut away portions 3 of the platform 1.

Secured to one end of the shaft 11 is an operating lever 17. This lever 17 is pro vided with a spring pressed pawl 18 adapted to engage suitable slots 19 and 20 provided upon a segment 21 secured upon one end of the platform 1. The slots 19 and 20 of the segment 21 are so positioned that the shaft 11 is caused to turn only one fourth of the revolution in raising or lowering the guard 4.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the device is in its raised position as illustrated in Fig. 2, the arms 12 and 14: are in a direct line with each other and effectively support the guard 4:, the counterweight 16 being in a direct vertical plane niate rially assists the arms in performing their function. When in this position the sides 8 are adjacent the sides of the platform 1, and the front or apron 9 having its lower edge positioned adjacent the upper edge of the front wall of the platform. The arms 12 and 14 are positioned at an angle as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and when the shaft 11 is rocked through the medium of the lever 17, the arms are bent In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a slightl modified form of the device. In these gures, the platform, indicated by the numeral 22 is provided with a longitudinal cut away portion or depression 23, extending to the outer wall of the platform. The guard 24 is hingedly connected with the longitudinal wall of the depression as indicated by the numerals 25, and is of lesser width than that of the depression 23. The guard is provided with the side walls 25, positioned adjacent the sides of the platform and with the front or apron 26. In this instance the lower edge of the apron 26 is provided with a plurality of rollers 27, adapted to. operate in the depression 23. The platform 22 is provided with a plurality of semi cylindrical depressions 28, and central of these depressions and immediately below the wall of the depression 23 is a longitudinally extending shaft 29. This shaft 29 is provided with a plurality of angularly extending arms 30, pivotally connected with shorter arms 31, and these arms 31 are pivotally,

connected with the ears 32 provided upon the under face of the guard 24. The shaft 29 is adapted to be operated by a lever similar to the lever 17 previously described, and said lever is. also provided with a spring pressed pawl engaging the depressions of a segment similar to the segment 21. The shaft 29 is provided with a counterweight 33 which materially assists the arms 30 and 31 in retaining the guard 24v in raised position, as the counterweight 33 is retained in a perfectly vertical position when the guard is raised as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. When the shaft 29 is rotated to close the guard upon the platform, the arms 30 and 31, being arranged at an angle bend and: are positioned within the semi-circular depression 28, the hinged apron 26 is propelled forward by the rollers 27 until it is flattened within the depression 23 and the surface of the platform restored to a perfectly level condition. It will be noted, that when the guards are in their lowered position upon the platforms, the counterweights upon the operating shafts extend horizontally at an angle to the shafts, thus allowing the shafts to raise the platforms with the minimum amount of exertion from the operator.

It is necessary to provide means for warning passengers upon the platform when the guards are to be raised, and to accomplish this the lever 17 when swung is made to contact two segments 34 connected with an electric bell system By this construction it will be noted that during the full swing of the lever 17 until it reaches either the notch 19 or the notch 20 of the segment 21,

the system is energized and the bell continuously sounded.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A railway platform having a hinged guard section connected with the floor thereof, said guard being provided with sides and a hinged front, means for raising the guard, means for retaining the guard in.

raised position, and means for lowering the guard.

2. A railway platform having its floor provided with a hinged section, said section having sides positioned adjacent the sides of the platform, and a hinged front positioned adjacent the front wall of the platform, means for raising the section, means 7 for retaining the section in raised position, and means for lowering the section.

3. A railway platform having a longitudinally corrugated floor section provided with sides and a hinged front, a longitudinal shaft upon the platform having arms pivotally connected with similar arms upon the lower face of the section, and means for rotating the shaft to swing the arms to raise or lower the floor section.

4:- A railway platform having a longitudinally corrugated movable floor section hingedly connected thereto at one of its longitudinally extending edges, sides upon the section, a hinged front upon the section, a

longitudinal shaft upon the platform, counterweights upon the shaft, arms connected with the shaft, pivoted arms upon the lower face of the platform connecting the arms of the shaft, and a lever connected with the shaft'torotate the shaft to swing the arms to raise or lower the floor section.

A railway platform having a longitudinally corrugated movable floor section. h mgedly secured, thereto, sides. upon the sec tion, a hinged front provided with rollers upon its lower edge, said rollers normally contacting the floor-of the, platform, a longitudinal shaft upon the platform, counterweights upon the shaft, arms arranged at an angle and connected with the shaft, similar arms connectedwith the platform and hingedly secured to the arms of the shaft, and a lever connected with the shaft and having a spring pawl adapted to engage a notched segment for operating the shaft.

6. The combination with a railway platform having acut away portion and a series of depressions communicating with the cut away portion, a floor section hingedly eonnected with the longitudinal wall of the cut away portion-,sides upon the-section,a hinged front upon the section, a longitudinally extending shaft upon the platform and within as it is swung between the notches of the the depressions, counterweights upon the segment to energize the system and sound shaft, arms upon the shaft, pivoted arms the bell. upon the section and connecting the arms of In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 5 the shaft, said arms being arrarifged at an in. presence of two witnesses.

an le in relation to the lane 0 the latfoi' m, a lever for the shaft a pawl nporl the HERMAN HEFFNER' lever, a notched segment for the lever, and Witnesses: electric contact points connected with a bell G. A. KERSHNER,

10 system adapted to be contacted by the lever G. G. HoRsFALL. 

